BBC Director General Greg Dyke: "Telling people what they want to hear is not doing them any favors. It may not be comfortable to challenge governments or even popular opinion, but it's what we are here to do." Mr Dyke said TV channels had a "responsibility to broadcast a range of voices".
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1125-12.htm
Published on Tuesday, November 25, 2003 by the BBC
BBC's Dyke Attacks US War Reports
BBC Director General Greg Dyke has attacked US TV
coverage of the war in Iraq in a speech at the
International Emmys in New York.
Mr Dyke, who was given a broadcasting excellence
award, said news channels needed to challenge
governments.
"News organizations should be in the business of
balancing their coverage, not banging the drum for one
side or the other," he said.
Greg Dyke said TV news should challenge government
views
He said coverage of the war showed the difference
between the US and the UK.
He said the need for balance was "something which
seemed to get lost in American reporting during the
war".
British TV wins at Monday's awards included the best
news award for Channel 4's coverage of the fall of
Saddam Hussein, and the BBC's comedy The Kumars at
Number 42 winning the best popular arts (scripted)
award.
In his speech, Mr Dyke quoted research that showed
that of 840 commentators aired on US TV, only four
were opposed to the war.
"I have to tell you if that was true in Britain the
BBC would have failed in its duty," he said.
"Telling people what they want to hear is not doing
them any favors. It may not be comfortable to
challenge governments or even popular opinion, but
it's what we are here to do." Mr Dyke said TV
channels had a "responsibility to broadcast a range of
voices".
The fact the BBC's own news services - BBC World and
News 24 - had "doubled" their audiences in the US in
the last year showed there was an audience for more
impartial news, he said.
"Our online services have experienced enormous growth
too and have regularly received e-mails back from
people here in the US saying 'Thank you for trying to
explain events, thank you for being impartial'."
The awards are handed out by the International Academy
of Television, Arts and Sciences, an arm of the
National Television Academy.
Their purpose is to recognize excellence in television
programming outside the US.
In 2002, the Kumars at Number 42 shared the Popular
Arts prize with Channel 4's Faking It. Both shows have
since been bought up by US networks.
(c) 2003, BBC
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